In this work, the effect of processing parameters on the resulting microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium alloy WE43 processed via Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD), a nascent solid-state additive manufacturing (AM) process, is investigated. In particular, a parameterization study was carried out, using multiple four-layer deposits, to identify a suitable process window for a structural 68-layers bulk WE43 deposition. The parametric study identified an acceptable set of parameters with minimal surface defects and excellent consolidation for the fabrication of a bulk WE43 deposition. Microstructural, tensile, and fatigue life characterization was conducted on the bulk WE43 deposition and compared to commercially available wrought material to elucidate the process-structure-property-performance (PSPP) relationship of the AFSD process. This study shows that the bulk WE43 deposit exhibited a refined homogenous microstructure and a texture shift relative to the wrought material. However, a reduction in hardness and tensile behavior was observed in the as-deposited WE43 compared to the wrought control. Additionally, fatigue specimens extracted from the bulk deposition exhibited a decrease in life in the low-cycle regime but performed comparably to the wrought plate in the high-cycle regime. The outcomes of this study illustrate the potential of the AFSD process in additively manufactured structural load-bearing components made with magnesium alloy WE43 in the as-built condition.

In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) has gained prominence in rapid prototyping and production of structural components with complex geometries. Magnesium alloys, which have a strength-to-weight ratio that is superior compared with steel and aluminum alloys, have shown potential in lightweighting applications. However, commercial beam-based AM technologies have limited success with magnesium alloys due to vaporization and hot cracking. Therefore, as an alternative approach, we propose the use of a near net-shape solid-state additive manufacturing process, additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), to fabricate magnesium alloys in bulk. In this study, a parametric investigation was performed to quantify the effect of process parameters on AFSD build quality including volumetric defects and surface quality in magnesium alloy AZ31B. In order to understand the effect of the AFSD process on structural integrity in the magnesium alloy AZ31B, in-depth microstructure and mechanical property characterization was conducted on a bulk AFSD build fabricated with a set of acceptable process parameters. Results of the microstructure analysis of the as-deposited AFSD build revealed bulk microstructure similar to wrought magnesium alloy AZ31 plate. Additionally, similar hardness measurements were found in AFSD build compared with control wrought specimens. While tensile test results of the as-deposited AFSD build exhibited a 20% drop in yield strength (YS), nearly identical ultimate strength was observed compared with the wrought control. The experimental results of this study illustrate the potential of using the AFSD process to additively manufacture Mg alloys for load bearing structural components with achieving wrought-like microstructure and mechanical properties.

Large-scale metal additive manufacturing (AM) provides a unique solution to rapidly develop prototype components with net-shape or near-net shape geometries. Specifically, additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) is a solid-state method for large-scale metal AM that produces near-net shape depositions capable of high deposition rates. As AFSD is utilized for a broader range of applications, there is a need to understand deposition strategies for larger and more complex geometries. In particular, components with larger surface areas will require overlapping deposition passes within a single layer. In this study, the AFSD process was used to create depositions utilizing multiple passes with a varying deposition path overlap width. The effects of overlapping parallel pass depositions on the mechanical and microstructural properties of aluminum alloy 7075 were examined. The grain size and microstructural features of the deposited material were analyzed to evaluate material mixing and plastic flow in the observed overlap regions. Additionally, hardness and tensile experiments were conducted to observe the relationship between the overlap width and as-deposited material behavior. In this study, an ideal overlap width was found that produced acceptable as-deposited material properties.

Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD) is a recent innovation in non-beam-based metal additive manufacturing that achieves layer-by-layer deposition while avoiding the solid-to-liquid phase transformation. AFSD presents numerous benefits over other forms of fusion-based additive manufacturing, such as high-strength mechanical bonding, joining of dissimilar alloys, and high deposition rates. To improve, automate, and ensure the quality, uniformity, and consistency of the AFSD process, it is necessary to control the temperature at the interaction zone and the force applied to the consumable feedstock during deposition. In this paper, real-time temperature and force feedback are achieved by embedding thermocouples into the nonconsumable machine tool-shoulder and estimating the applied force from the motor current of the linear actuator driving the feedstock. Subsequently, temperature and force controllers are developed for the AFSD process, ensuring that the temperature at the interaction zone and the force applied to the feedstock track desired command values. The temperature and force controllers were evaluated separately and together on setpoints and time-varying trajectories. For combined temperature and force control with setpoints selected at a temperature of 420 °C and a force of 2669 N, the average temperature and force tracking errors are 5.4 ± 6.5 °C (1.4 ± 1.6%) and 140.1 ± 213.5 N (5.2 ± 8.0%), respectively.

In this research, we explore the preliminary effects of processing conditions using a novel additive manufacturing (AM) process, known as additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), on resulting build direction (BD) mechanical performance. Using the AFSD process, a feasibility study of three AM builds of identical size are created using differentiating processing parameters. A relationship referred to as the deposition pitch, exhibiting similarities to weld pitch, is determined to be a simple but effective predictor of the interlayer bonding in AFSD processing of AA7020. The deposition pitch directly correlates the necessary temperature, time, and pressure required for effective solid-state bonding. Using this correlation, increased mechanical performance in the BD is achieved through an increase in deposition pitch. A reduction in the deposition pitch from 4.46 rev/mm to 1.08 rev/mm resulted in a significant decrease in failure strain from 24.4% to 0.82%, with the failure mechanism shifting from a ductile failure to brittle failure. The inverse relationship between grain refinement and BD failure strain at high deposition pitches suggests deposition pitch and heat input are the dominant factors in the resulting BD mechanical properties.